THE HISTORY OF ARTFEST
Celebrating 29 years of community art festivals!
The Escape ARTfest began its history in 1995 with the Tabula Rasa Contemporary Arts Festival, organised under the umbrella of the local business chamber. Originally the event was staged during the winter months with the aim of showcasing local artists of all genres.
In 2005 the festival was named Escape ARTfest – a new name, a fresh new logo and a change of season meant that the festival followed in the footsteps of its predecessor, with renewed focus and energy.
Over the next few years several key festival components were established as festival attendees favourites – a comprehensive youth program which included exhibitions, workshops, prizes and other opportunities – a partnership with the Milton Ulladulla Music Council – and the introduction of a major sculpture event.
Each year Escape ARTfest goes from strength to strength, and is now a major event on the state’s tourist calendar attracting audiences from far and wide.
Whilst it remains a delightfully popular event amongst the local community due to its ‘grass roots’ focus – it also provides a wonderful platform for emerging artists to gain public exposure and opportunities for the community to witness and experience the plethora of arts right here on our doorstep.
After a successful festival in 2019 the event was not able to proceed in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
2022 saw the return of the festival as a biennial event.
The 2024 festival is planned for October with another exciting and inclusive celebration of the arts in the Milton/Ulladulla community.
VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME & SKILLS
Volunteering for the Festival is a fantastic opportunity to gain new skills, meet new people and help us deliver a successful arts festival.
There are a number of ways that you can get involved and work with us to make Escape ARTfest a fun and enriching experience for all.
ARTfest require volunteers in a diverse range of roles to make sure this exciting event runs smoothly.
Event Support
Working closely with our event managers and organisers you will be working behind the scenes to make sure our events run smoothly and on time.
Information providers and ushers
Many ARTfest events will require ushers to welcome visitors and provide information about events and venues, collect postcodes and sell raffle tickets as well as providing information.
Team Leaders
Team leaders will be overseeing a group of volunteers across many events during the festival and will be integral to the smooth running of volunteer operations.
Office & Project Administration
Periodically there will be a need for volunteers to assist with office administration, production planning and marketing and ticketing support.
Photographers / Film makers
If you are a budding photographer or film maker, we have many opportunities for you to broaden your portfolio by taking photos and video for us across the festival.
